My First Month in the World of Online Writing

My Venture

I've worked two jobs for most of my adult life. After almost twenty years of it, I've gotten tired of having a part-time job along with my full-time job. Having a daughter changed my priorities and made me want to spend more time at home with her. I decided a month ago to try my hand at being an online writer when I did a search and came up with an article on Squidoo. I had found them several times when I was researching something and I saw that anyone could write an article for them and possibly make money. I've always wanted to be a writer but never had the time to work on it. I decided to submit a few articles and then I discovered Hubpages and decided to join. So while it hasn't quite been a month on Hubpages, I've reached my first month as an online writer and I've already learned a lot.

Things I've Learned

I think the most imporant thing I've learned is that I have to have a plan. A goal of what I want to accomplish here on the web. There are so many freelance websites and so much information on how to succeed that I had to know my goals so I'd know where to focus my time. I have short-term goals, mid-term goals and long-term goals.

Long term goals: Be able to support myself as a work at home mom by my writing and a couple of part time jobs. From what I've learned, this is possible but can take several years so I put it in the long term category.

Mid term goals: Make enough money every month with my writing that I can replace the income from my part-time job. I'd love to be able to do that within the next year. I've set a deadline for the end of the year but I know that is going to require a lot of work and dedication.

Short term goals: Set a writing schedule based on my other responsibilities and what I need to accomplish on a weekly basis. I set a goal of how many articles I want to write in a week rather than a dollar amount because I can control the writing but not the money.

I've done a lot of research to discover which websites I want to write for based on my goals. I know that I want to have some residual income as well as upfront payments so I need to write for two different kinds of websites. Right now, I'm writing for Hubpages, Associated Content and Constant Content. So far, in my first month, I've made $16.90. I'm happy with that total since I spent so much time trying to figure out what I was doing.

I also know that I want to improve my writing so that I can write for Demand Studios and About.com. You have to fill out applications and submit a writing sample for them to decide if they will accept you. The pay is good if you can write for them, but I want to improve and learn more about online writing before I make the attempt.

Still More to Learn

I still have a lot more to learn. I'm learning about SEO, Search Engine Optimization, in order to get more hits on my articles. I'm also trying to learn more about promotion and bookmarking sites. There are some other websites like Helium and dailyarticle.com that I may check out and see what kind of success I have. I also need to find more ways to increase my Google AdSense revenue. And of course, keep learning more about the craft of writing.

This isn't a get rich quick scheme but a real part-time job where you put in a lot of hours doing real work. When I get discouraged, I remind myself that this is my way to quit working two jobs and it keeps me going. I can set my own hours and work as much or as little as I want. I get to spend time with my daughter and work at home while she plays or sleeps. Besides, I'm doing something I love so it doesn't feel like work.

Comments

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

Lawrence Mckenzie 6 years agofrom Cincinnati, Ohio

THANK YOU FOR SHARING INFORMATION.IM TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE BUT AT TIMES I WANT COMMIT SUICIDE,MY CREATOR GAVE ME A PEN THEN;TITLE;CHANGING SHADOWS; DRIPPING DOWN MY PAST I FEEL LOST,SO AS I TAP WITHIN MY SOULFUL EYE I CONCEIVE THEE TO BE HEALED THROUGH MY SOUL TO GLOW,IM BLESS TO CONFESS FOR THERE IS TRUE LIGHT TO FIGHT THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT,IM CASTING SPIRIT TO SEE THE LIGHT.LIVING IN YESTERDAYS PAIN IS TRULY NO GAIN IM GARNISHING MY PAIN TO DELIVER ME FROM NOT BEING THE SAME, IM PRAYING FOR MY SOUL TO LET GO I JUMP AND RUN TO LOOK WITHIN TO SEE I FROM THE SKY AND SEE THEE TO BE SPIRITUALLY FREE.AS I SING FROM SOUL I REALIZE IM TRULY BLESS TO GROW.

Dora Weithers 6 years agofrom The Caribbean

Encouraged by your positive outlook. Stick to your plan and good luck!